School profile

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Primary · Voluntary aided school · Nr Wigan, WN5 7QJ

Good

Map showing St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#561 of 15,057

Better than 96% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 19 Sept 2023

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils177
GenderMixed
Religious characterCatholic
Head teacherMrs Ruth Martin
Local authoritySt. Helens
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 104813.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSt. HelensEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths88%, better than England, better than St. Helens62%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.13%, better than England, better than St. Helens8%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.110, better than England, better than St. Helens105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than St. Helens104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than St. Helens105105
Expected standard in reading94%, better than England, better than St. Helens75%76%
Expected standard in writing94%, better than England, better than St. Helens75%73%
Expected standard in maths94%, better than England, better than St. Helens73%75%
Pupils taking tests32--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils177
Girls80
Boys97
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.6.8%
First language not English3.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.15.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.22
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.5
Average class size25.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
93.2%
Other ethnic group
2.8%
Other mixed
2.3%
Irish
0.6%
Other White
0.6%
White and Asian
0.6%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%
White and Black Caribbean
0%
White and Black African
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher21.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11
Teachers (FTE)8.4
Teaching assistants (FTE)7.74
Support staff (FTE)10.14
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/258.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/256.7
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250.4
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.7

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.16
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.42
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.14
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.14
Applications from another local authority (Reception)5

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSt. HelensEngland
Overall absence5.7%, worse than England, worse than St. Helens5%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.14.7%, similar to England, worse than St. Helens12.4%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.9%, worse than England, worse than St. Helens0.8%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.5%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near St Mary's Catholic Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryBillinge Chapel End Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Aidan's CofE Primary School BillingeVoluntary aided school
Requires improvement
0.9 miPrimaryCarr Mill Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.5 miPrimarySt Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.8 miPrimaryAshurst Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.8 miPrimaryGarswood Primary and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about St Mary's Catholic Primary School

What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 19 Sept 2023.

How does St Mary's Catholic Primary School rank in England?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School ranks 561 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 96% of schools).

What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 88% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, St Mary's Catholic Primary School made 16 offers from 42 applications (2.6 per offer), and 14 of 14 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School has 177 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, the average class had 25.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 21.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School missed 5.7% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 14.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.